Has this happened to you?
When I first started my business over 10 years ago, I used to diligently attend morning networking events every week (despite not being a morning person).
One day I hit snooze too many times and ended up getting to the venue quite late.
Unfortunately, I missed the informal chat and arrived right when the 60 second pitches were starting.
I was the 5th person to stand up and speak. It was a great opportunity to let everyone know about my business.
Suddenly I felt a bit nervous! (Anyone else been there?)
And when I opened my mouth, what came out of it was not the clear confident pitch I had planned in my head...
Instead I created a weird high-pitched squeaky sound followed by a giant frog in my throat that I had to clear with a cough!
Not an ideal advertisement for someone who is a professional speaker and presentation skills coach 🤦
On reflection, I realised I hadn't actually spoken to anyone that morning before I arrived at the event.
And I was reminded of a very important lesson; a lesson I had learned decades before whilst studying to be an actor:
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ NEVER WARM UP ON YOUR AUDIENCE'S TIME ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
As a performer, I would always spend time warming up my body, voice and mind to ensure I was in top form and ready to deliver as soon as the curtain opened or the director called 'Action'.
Yet, here I was in front of a business audience not giving them the same respect, and certainly not doing myself any favours!
If you're someone who is a bit 'rough' at the start of your presentation but warms up as you go, think about how much more impact you could have if you took a moment to warm up before you started.
Imagine how much more compelling and engaging you could be, how much more respect you could command, how much more confident you would look and feel if you knew your body and voice were primed beforehand.
An athlete doesn't play sport without warming up, a singer doesn't sing without warming up, a musician doesn't play without warming up.
What do you think - is it time for you to try a warm up before you're next in front of an audience? Let me know if you’d like me to share my favourite warm up exercises in a future post.
Mel Sherwood is a Presentation Skills and Personal Impact Speaker, Founder of The RED Effect™ and Author of ‘The Authority Guide to Pitching Your Business: How to make an impact and be remembered - in under a minute!’ She works with ambitious business leaders, teams and individuals who want to express themselves with confidence, credibility and charisma. An Australian based in Scotland, Mel is an award-winning speaker, author and coach and combines over 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer.